1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrical connector assembly, more particularly to an electrical connector for connecting flexible connecting strips of a film circuitry and a main circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, it is known that a pair of connecting strips 1 of a film circuitry (not shown) can be connected to a main circuit board 3 by inserting two flat end portions 11 of the connecting strips 1 into sockets 2 on the main circuit board 3. Each of the flat end portions 11 has rows of electrical terminals 111 formed on one of the opposite side faces thereof in order to connect electrically with corresponding contacts that are provided in the sockets 2. Since the connecting strips 11 are made of a flexible material, insertion of the flat end portions 11 into the sockets 2 is sometimes difficult to conduct.
FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional electrical connector assembly 5 for connecting a pair of flexible connecting strips of a film circuitry (not shown) and a main board 6. The electrical connector assembly 5 comprises a flexible connector 4 having a first end (not shown) connected to the connecting strips of the film circuitry and a second end 41 with a plurality of contacts 411, a flexible circuit board 51, and a clamping unit 53 for clamping the flexible circuit board 51 to the second end 41 of the flexible connector 4. The flexible circuit board 51 has a receptacle connector 52 welded thereto for electrical connection with a plug connector 61 on the main circuit board 6. Since the flexible circuit board 51 cannot be manufactured by means of an automatic process, the high manufacturing cost of the electrical connector assembly 5 is relatively high. In addition, because the clamping unit 53 exerts simply a force perpendicular to the flexible circuit board 51 onto the flexible circuit board 51 and the flexible connector 4, the flexible circuit board 51 is liable to separate from the flexible connector 4 when the flexible circuit board 51 is drawn by a downward force generally parallel to the flexible circuit board 51. Still further, one of the flexible connecting strips of the film circuitry is twisted in order to turn the terminals form(d on a side face thereof so as to connect the first end of the flexible connector 4 together with the terminals formed on the other one of the flexible strips in the same orientation. Twisting of the flexible connecting strip sometimes damages the circuit traces that are embedded in the flexible connecting strip.